


The Way You Are

by nove22louise



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Childhood Friends, Comedy, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Issues, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Jealous Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Good Friend, Mutual Pining, Nerd Kuroo Tetsurou, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:27:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29228469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nove22louise/pseuds/nove22louise
Summary: You've been friends with Kuroo and Kenma for as long as you can remember, the three of you living in your own little bubble separate from the rest of the world. You're suddenly reminded of reality when a younger girl confesses her feelings for Kuroo, threatening the exclusiveness of your trio. Are your feelings of insecurity spreading because you're worried about your friendship? Or have you been harboring feelings for your best friend without knowing it?
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou & Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	The Way You Are

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii, this is a completely self-indulgent fic I wrote for all my Kuroo Lovers out there. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing. 
> 
> Shout out to my editor and best friend, who encouraged me to publish this :). Her @ is in the co-creators tag if you wanna check her out. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for stopping by, and enjoy!

You always found it funny when people would describe to you what they thought your best friend was like. Yes, the dark haired volleyball captain did fit the majority of his reputation. He was smart, athletic, and definitely good-looking, but there was a much more shy and awkward part of him that made up a good fraction of his personality. A side that caught a lot of people off guard. 

And right now was no exception. There was probably about 15 minutes until school started, so you, Kenma, and Kuroo all did your usual laps around the building while waiting for the bell to ring. You'd studied hard the night before for your chemistry quiz, attempting to refresh your brain a little more by going over the terms with Kuroo--who despite being in the same year as you, was in a much more advanced science class. He liked to remind you of that fact daily. Kenma, who was a year younger than you two seemed disinterested in the conversation, eyes glued to the PSP in his hands. Although, to be fair, he had a good amount of time before he had to worry about the subject matter anyways. 

You'd felt like you were finally starting to understand some things, with just one follow up question on your mind. "So, when I draw the arrow between the two equations, it signifies the chemical reaction and I'm done?" 

"Yeah, pretty much," Kuroo states. "Just make sure the equation is balanced, and you're good." 

Your eyes widened, shock stopping you in your tracks. How could you have been so dumb to forget review about balancing equations? If you hadn't done it by now, there's no way you'd remember it for the test. To put it nicely; you were fucked. "Shit, I forgot how to do that. Oh god, what am I gonna do? The test is in like ten minutes." 

Kenma and Kuroo had paced forward a few feet before realizing you weren't standing next to them anymore. The pair turned around to see your nervous-self clutching the sides of your bag so hard your knuckles turned white. 

"Relax," he says. "It's simple, you just-" 

He turns around mid-sentence, facing the other direction. Being a couple steps away, you hadn't realized there was a person behind him who tapped his shoulder. A much smaller person, for that matter. She looked like she was even shorter than Kenma. 

From what you could see, the girl seemed somewhat familiar. Not to mention, effortlessly beautiful. A large lump formed in your throat at the sight of her. The way her hair flowed down to her shoulders perfectly; not a strand out of place. You couldn’t help but stare as she batted her long eyelashes in Kuroo’s direction, placing him under her spell. It’d take a fool to not fall for her right then and there. 

Your eyes shifted away from the pair, glancing over to Kenma who looked just as confused as you. One of your eyebrows lifted, as if to say, ‘what’s going on?’ He blinked, looking at the girl then back over to you, giving a slight shrug in response. You prayed that somehow this interaction wouldn't take very long. In order to pass the quiz, you'd need Kuroo’s help. So you planned on waiting until then. 

At least, you did, until you felt a pair of eyes on you. Her annoyingly-gorgeous eyes, forcing you to pay attention to her again. "Um, if you don't mind, do you think I could talk to Kuroo, alone?" 

The question was innocent by nature--you knew she hadn’t meant to offend you, but for some reason, it was still bothersome. Kuroo had clearly just been talking to you, and now you were the one who had to leave? It hardly seemed fair, but you knew it’d only cause you more trouble if you argued with her.

It wouldn’t have upset you this much if it was just a normal day, but this was one of the rare times you actually needed to talk to him. Whatever, at least you had the internet to help you with balancing equations. Even if you much preferred the teachings of your scientifically-gifted friend. 

Trying your best to sound unbothered, you hesitantly obliged to her request,"Oh, sure uh-c'mon Kenma," awkwardly, you stepped forward a few feet, pulling the younger boy's arm in the process. He didn't protest, letting you guide him further down the hallway. 

You gave one last look over your shoulder, "catch you later, Kuroo." Although phrased as a statement, it came out more like a question. He gave you a nod of reassurance, his expression unchanging since your earlier conversation. Then, you and Kenma disappeared around the corner. 

Now that the two of you were alone, Kenma finally put away his PSP, sliding it into his bag. Even if it didn't necessarily help to generate conversation, you appreciated the gesture. A dull silence settled between you two. Not one of awkwardness, just a comfortable silence between two friends. 

You chose to interrupt said silence when the elephant in the room became too much to bear."What do you think she wants with him?"

"Confession." His tone stayed the same, body language screaming disinterest; as if it was painfully obvious that's what she wanted the whole time. 

You on the other hand, had felt the complete opposite, completely oblivious to the fact that Kuroo ever got confessed to. Or maybe, that's what you had secretly hoped to be true. "No way, really? What makes you think that?" 

Kenma's feet scraped the ground every time he took a step, a trait of his that annoyed you at first, but became something you grew to tolerate over the years. Something you grew to enjoy, even. It made you smile to think of the first time you got annoyed at Kenma for his loud feet, how long ago that had been. 

He ponders your question for a moment. You can tell because his classic ‘concentrated’ face that you usually only saw when he played video games is written across his features. "I dunno. From what I saw of her she looked nervous. Plus, she held a box of something in her hands. Looked like chocolate to me." 

That was something you hadn't even noticed. Kenma's observational skills were undeniable at times. But also a little troubling, since he was rarely ever wrong. It just further solidified the fact that the girl was confessing to him; the fact you had tried to ignore. "Huh, guess I didn't realize. Does this happen a lot?" 

You guys reached the end of the hallway, turning left to continue your loop even with the absence of the bedhead. You knew your question was just overkill, considering Kuroo got confessed to all the time--or at least that’s what he told you, but you just wanted to know what Kenma thought about it. A tiny part of you had convinced yourself this time was different. 

"I guess, well, after morning practice it happens sometimes, but he always turns them down." 

Selfishly, your mood improved at hearing Kenma’s words. The motivation as to why was still a mystery to you. 

"Does he turn them down, or do they start running away when he talks about actinides?" You chuckled at the thought of his inability to talk to girls, picking up that term in a conversation you’d overheard with someone he was trying to joke with. To his surprise, she didn’t get it. The word then became a sort of inside-joke between the three of you after the awkward encounter insinuated. 

Kenma smiles, "I think a little bit of both." 

The two of you continued along, your mind full thinking of the girl who stopped you guys in the hall. You found yourself wanting to know more about her. The curiosity gnawing at you, mixed amongst other feelings. "Do you know that girl?" You ask, "I've seen her around but I can't remember her name." 

"Why, you jealous or something?" Kenma says in his own little way of teasing you. The corner of his mouth was upwards the slightest bit, enjoying the idea of making you flustered. 

You turn to face him; a rather annoyed look on your face considering he pushed the idea of you and Kuroo all the time. But he knew you well enough to tell weren’t genuinely upset. "Ew, god no. There's just something about that girl that caught my attention." 

He shrugs, the regular nonchalant version of himself returning."I'm pretty sure she's a first-year. I doubt Kuroo knows who she is either." 

“That’ll be awkward if it turns out to be a confession.” 

“It’ll be awkward no matter what.” 

“True,” you giggle. But for some reason, you still weren’t completely satisfied with what you knew about this girl. 

A thought that gave you some comfort, was that Kuroo was never exactly one to swindle the ladies. Even then, it shouldn’t be your business whether he was interested in her or not. 

In fact, it shouldn’t be so strange to you that this happened; but it was. A naive part of yourself had always seen you, Kuroo, and Kenma as separate from everyone else. It’d never crossed your mind to consider a fourth--especially if that meant there was a couple involved in your little bubble.   
You glanced down at your watch. It had been nearly five minutes since you and Kenma had gone your separate ways from Kuroo; leaving another five until first period started. 

Normally, you weren’t so this anxious at this hour of the day. There was never much on your mind considering how early it was, combined with the fact you were not much of a morning person. 

Today though, you couldn’t help but have a sinking feeling form in the pit of your stomach. Whether it was the nerves about the test you were bound to fail in a few minutes, or the premise that your best friend was about to get a girlfriend; you didn’t know. But the feeling still remained. 

As you and Kenma were about to turn the corner, you realized that if you continued walking the two of you would have circled back to where Kuroo was supposed to be. “Let’s turn around, we don’t wanna interrupt the lovebirds,” you chimed, turning to go back the same way you came. 

“Interrupt who now?” A voice cuts in from behind, wrapping their arms around the shoulders of you and Kenma, successfully sandwiching themselves between you. Both of you let out a grunt, not expecting the gesture. 

“I thought I smelled axe body spray,” you say while shoving Kuroo’s arm off your shoulder. You hear Kenma snicker, while Kuroo turns to you with an exasperated expression on his face. 

“What?” You ask, scrunching up your nose for added effect to your dumb joke. “Seriously dude, when was the last time you showered?” 

“Very funny,” he retorts, his face changing into his usual smirk. “I would be more offended if the person making fun of me was able to balance chemical equations.” 

Kenma hisses through his teeth, a similar smirk on his face. “Ouch.” 

To be fair, you’d started it. But that fact wasn’t enough to stop you from punching Kuroo’s arm. To your surprise, he hadn’t even flinched. “Well, maybe if you weren’t off with your girlfriend I would know how to.” 

As fast as it had come, the smirk was wiped off his face yet again, replaced with a scowl. It made you laugh to think of how easy it was to get a reaction out of him, always knowing exactly what to say in order to get under his skin. “Not my girlfriend. And besides, I’m not god. I don’t think anyone can learn how to balance equations that quickly.” 

You sighed. That pit in your stomach continuing to grow. For now, you’d just have to ignore his statement; placing all your trust in your prior knowledge of chemistry to try and achieve a passing grade--it was all you could do at this point.

In all honesty, you were much more interested in making fun of the sensitive volleyball captain, knowing it was one of the few things that could ease your nerves. “Ok, let me guess then…” you tease, placing your pointer finger and thumb under your chin in a mock-thinking position, “she asked you out--you said yes--but, when you suggested watching jeopardy together on a sunday afternoon, she’s suddenly nowhere to be found.” 

The smirk previously on his face transfers to yours when you see that disheveled look, provoking him further. It truly never got old. “How’s my hypothesis, Kenma?” 

“Accurate,” he says smugly, a non-verbal agreement decided between you two to give your friend a hard time. You both knew he deserved it after ditching you. 

“Would you two relax? Jeez. And no, your hypothesis was incorrect, but maybe if you keep using big science words like that you’ll sound smarter…” Rolling your eyes at his comment, he continues, “she confessed her feelings towards me, and I didn’t feel the same way. Simple as that.” 

“So basically, you broke her heart?” You ask, although a tiny piece of you is relieved at the new information. You’d been subconsciously holding your breath as soon as you caught sight of the girl, her good looks catching you off guard and making you feel a bit insecure of yourself. 

If Kuroo had a pretty girlfriend like that, where would you fit in? 

The thought was ridiculous, but nevertheless it circled your mind. Kenma always had the advantage of being a guy, so his friendship was never threatened by a significant other. You, on the other hand, had come to terms with the possibility that your relationship with Kuroo might cease to exist if a girlfriend ever came along. That was just the nature of a girl-guy friendship. 

He shakes his head, “if that's how you see it, then maybe I did. But I think I let her down gently.” 

“Oh, I’m sure you did.” You mutter, watching as the hallway bustled with students desperately racing to get to their class, reminding you of your own. “Well, as much as I’d love to continue this conversation, I’ve got a test to fail so…” 

Your hands motion to the space behind you, slowly walking backwards in the direction of your classroom. But before you could take another step, Kuroo slung his left arm around your shoulders, pulling you so you were pushed against his side. He used his right arm to ruffle your hair, an action he’d done countless times since you were kids, purely to annoy you.

“Good luck, Chibi-Chan!” He yells at an uncomfortably loud volume, the sound increasing due to his close proximity. 

Your cheeks flushed red at the thought anyone had seen or heard his little show. “I hate you so much,” you choke out, elbowing his side to let you go. 

Once free from his hold, you shoot him one last death glare, much to his amusement. That was the exact reaction he had hoped to achieve from you. “Right, see you at lunch then?” 

“Eat shit,” you say while flipping him off, waving goodbye to Kenma with your free hand and strutting off in the opposite direction. 

Once a few paces ahead, you glanced over your shoulder one last time. Kuroo and Kenma stood next to each other, Kenma now victim to the same hold that you had been in moments before. There was that unshakeable look of joy spread across Kuroo’s face. The same expression he always carried when with his friends. It caused your lips to curve upwards--just a fraction--to think of how he finds happiness within the smaller things in life. 

For the first time that morning, you thought that maybe everything was going to be just fine. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the dreaded chemistry test (which actually didn’t turn out to be as bad as you thought), the rest of the day seemed less important. Despite your bickering this morning, you had chosen to eat lunch with Kuroo and Kenma, offering up your bento to the boys when you decided you weren’t hungry. 

After your last period of the day, you weren’t left with much energy to do anything except head home. Normally, you’d watch the boy’s volleyball practice, using the down-time to catch up on your studies. It’d become such a routine that you’d usually have to warn the two when you couldn’t make it. 

Despite their pleas insisting you become manager of the team, you’d always decline, not wanting to burden yourself with the idea of such a commitment in an important year of high school. But even if you weren’t the true manager, the team treated you like one--including Mr. Nekomata. You’d even come to befriend others on the team, like Yaku, Lev, and Yamamoto--three people who brought out the more troublesome side of their captain. You liked seeing him get all riled up, a rare side to him, knowing he truly loved being with his teammates and dedicating himself to the sport. So, it never bothered you to come to practice. In fact, you quite enjoyed them. It gave you a sound mind to know how much you were truly cared for by these people.

This is why you had an internal debate about whether you should go to their practice today, not wanting to let them down. You sighed, standing outside the school building. The cool breeze of the afternoon air brushed against your exposed legs, reminding you it wasn’t summer anymore. As you looked up, you could see a large cloud covering most of the sky, draining the color from it and drastically lowering the temperature. The thin raincoat you draped over your uniform did little to keep you warm, motivating you to head home. Slowly, one foot lead in front of the other, taking you farther away from the building and letting your body make the choice for you.

The walk to the train station wasn’t horrible, but somehow felt much longer when there was no one with you to fill the silence. You couldn’t remember the last time you rode the train at this hour, or even the last time you’d rode it by yourself. It wasn’t bad per se; but a whole different experience when alone. 

When you’d finally reached your house, passing Kenma and Kuroo’s on the way, you felt worse than you already did about skipping out on their practice. Somehow the sight of their houses standing perfectly next to each other from your living room window made you sick to your stomach; and you weren’t sure why. You weren’t their manager, and you certainly didn’t owe them anything, but you couldn’t help feeling like you’d upset them in some way.

Finally being home made you feel some ease. There was just something about being in your own space that finally allowed the tension in your muscles to fade away, even if your mind was swimming. 

The empty house was also a bonus factor, knowing there was no one you’d have to interact with for a while. 

You hadn’t bothered to check your phone on the way, knowing you’d have at least one text message asking where you were. When you shuffled your phone out of your pocket you were met with exactly that, a string of text messages from the two. 

You knew you’d answer them at some point, just not right now. It was officially the weekend, after all, so you were sure you’d have plenty of time to see them and explain yourself. What you needed at this exact moment was a hot shower and nap, letting your mind and body rest after the excruciatingly long day you had. 

You woke up to a phone call, the bright screen of your device paired with a loud buzzing noise shocking you. Not completely aware of your surroundings due to the fact you were unconscious just moments before, you place the phone up to your ear, your tired voice letting out a barely audible, “hello?” 

Your name erupted from the other end, along with a loud sigh, causing you to turn down your phone volume by a couple bars. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling and texting you for hours.” 

“Tetsurou?” You ask, your mind still groggy from sleep but able to vaguely recognize the voice. 

“Yeah dumbass, it's me. Did you not read the caller ID before picking up the phone?” 

“No, sorry,” you sigh, throwing your blankets off you and turning on your lamp resting on your nightstand. “I just woke up.” 

“So you had time to nap but not to answer my texts or calls? Jesus I thought you were dead--or kidnapped or something,” In the background you could hear muffled conversation, making you believe he was either home or at Kenma’s. 

“Don’t flatter me like that,” you tease, placing your head back on the pillow and staring up at the ceiling. “How was practice?” 

“Oh don’t you ‘how was practice?’ me right now. You totally bailed and didn’t tell anyone what you were doing. I was seriously worried about you.” 

You could practically see the expression he was making. Eyebrows slightly furrowed, mouth partly open, and eyelids halfway shut. He was just so predictable. He always got super over-protective, like an older brother when he didn’t know where you were. “I didn’t realize I had to come to all your practices. It’s not like I’m your manager or anything.” Your tone was a bit blunt, which wasn’t intentional, but it got the point across; he was being extra. 

There was a moment of silence before he answered, the muffled voices becoming more clear. It sounded like there were multiple, maybe he was with Bokuto and Akaashi? No, that wouldn’t make sense. It takes too long to get to Bokuto’s from school for him to be there right now. 

The microphone muffled a bit before he spoke up. “Well-yeah. Obviously you don’t always have to come if you don’t want to, but I thought you did, you know--want to.” 

Perhaps it was the faint scruffiness or smooth undertone, but Kuroo’s voice always brought comfort to you. You remembered making fun of him when you were younger for his constant voice-cracks. Then all of a sudden, they just stopped. Replacing it with the smooth, confident voice you heard now. 

“No, you’re right--I do, I was just really tired today. And, I probably failed that stupid quiz, which brought down my average. Ugh, whatever...” You trailed off, the days events replaying in your mind. “I just wasn’t feeling it, and I didn’t wanna bring you guys down.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he protests, “you’d never bring us down. We were just missing you, that’s all.” 

You smile at his kind words, getting some much needed peace-of-mind. There was a moment of silence again, but it was clear most of the tension between you two had subsided. “I hate it when you’re nice to me.” 

“Oh, and why’s that?” What you imagined Kuroo to look like on the other end of the phone call was now smirking, the more casual and playful side of himself coming into play. 

“Cause then I feel bad when I’m mean to you.” 

He lets out his crazy hyena laugh, erupting a loud static from the mic. You had to place the phone away from your head while he continued like that, coming back to earth after a few moments. “Guess you’re about to feel real bad then,” 

Your eyebrows scrunch together, an expression of your confusion. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, I figured you’d be stressed about that quiz, so I took it upon myself to find my old chemistry notes…” He starts, “I thought you’d want them since you’re gonna need to prep for that retake.” 

You gasp slightly, extremely grateful for his actions. “Stop it, now I’m regretting all that stuff I said to you this morning,” 

“I think we both know that we can’t trust your notes, since you somehow completely forgot to write down the part about balancing equations, which is you know… chemistry.” 

You groan in embarrassment, “please don’t remind me.” 

There was another chuckle let out from the other side of the line, making you smile to yourself a little bit as well. Just before you think he’s about to speak, the muffled voices you’d been hearing became much louder. Sounding like they were shouting, almost. 

The noise became overwhelming, causing you to feel a little uneasy. The happy mood between Kuroo and you completely dissipated at the thought he was somehow in danger. You tried to call out and ask if he was ok, but another crashing noise erupted through the small speaker in your phone. The impact left a ringing in your ears, and you were ready to get out of bed and run to his house at that very moment, terrified for his well being. 

You knew what video games and playful fights sounded like, and this was nothing you were used to. This was real. 

“Kuroo what’s going on? Are you okay?” It was hard to hide the desperation in your voice. 

Then, the sound of shuffling and his breath got a little heavier, almost like he was moving somewhere. “Yeah, yeah I'm good. Uh, can I come over? So we can study?” 

His voice sounded nothing like it did moments before. No, now he sounded much less confident. Almost like he was scared. And it made you scared, too. “Yeah, of course you can. Are you home right now?” 

You wanted to know partly so you could know how long it would take him to get to you, but also to try and figure out the source of the noises you’d just heard. 

He hesitates, “yeah. So it shouldn’t take me long to get there.” 

“Alright, I’ll see you soon then.” You mutter, your anxiety blossoming with each passing second. 

“See you soon,” were the last words you heard once he hung up the phone. 

Even if it was only a short few minutes without his presence, it made you extremely nervous when he hung up. Now you had no idea what he was facing, and you wouldn’t be able to help if something happened. You could only pray that he would get to your house safely. 

A lot of emotions had clouded you that day, but the biggest, most formidable emotion you were dealing with was guilt. Guilt that you had skipped practice, guilt that you weren’t there when whatever happened; happened. 

But worst of all, you couldn’t help but feel like this was all your fault.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading the first chapter of my story! 
> 
> I'm going to try my best to update every week, but coming from a busy high school student that might not be entirely possible. I'll let you guys know in the chapter notes if the updating schedule starts to become inconsistent. 
> 
> Btw, if you like to imagine a song for this fic, I always think of "You Belong with Me" by Taylor Swift. It kinda fits the vibe of you and Kuroo's relationship.
> 
> I'll be making a twitter soon, so I'll let you know when that's up and you can check it out for updates :) 
> 
> Again, thanks for reading and talk to you guys soon!


End file.
